[Make it Lady (OP)]

Another question from my son. He is amazed at the number of eggs a spider can lay and wonders how they fit inside such a small animal.

[dentstudent]

Do you know, the first time I read this, I thought it said "Why do spiders have so many legs?". Shows how an assumption can lead you completely astray......

[Don_1]

Do you know, the first time I read this, I thought it said "Why do spiders have so many legs?". Shows how an assumption can lead you completely astray......

I am so very glad you did this, I thought I was the only one.

[blakestyger]

I've looked in my spider book and it says that eggs are laid in numerous small batches or fewer large batches but over a longer time - that is, they are never in there all at the same time.

What I didn't know until now was that the eggs pass from the ovaries, down the oviducts and out through the genital opening. They are fertilised in transit as they pass the fertilisation ducts, which pour on sperm that has been previously stored in the spermathecae.

Newly hatched siders can look very sweet.

[dentstudent]

Newly hatched siders can look very sweet.

Certainly, but it depends from where they've hatched. My cousin is a doctor, and a case of his many years ago was a patient who'd returned from tropical climes and had developed a bulge on their arm. Yup, it all came out spiders......

[dentstudent]

Another friend of mine had been camping in the US, and awoke to discover that for some reason her belly button had become flat. It turned out that a spider had lain (laid??) its eggs in her belly-button and webbed over the top.

[dentstudent]

But I do like the way that they cascade in a little spider waterfall when you tap a clump of them.

[blakestyger]

Certainly, but it depends from where they've hatched. My cousin is a doctor, and a case of his many years ago was a patient who'd returned from tropical climes and had developed a bulge on their arm. Yup, it all came out spiders......

Yes...I agree, it seems there may be limits to sweetness.

[Make it Lady (OP)]

I've looked in my spider book and it says that eggs are laid in numerous small batches or fewer large batches but over a longer time - that is, they are never in there all at the same time.

What I didn't know until now was that the eggs pass from the ovaries, down the oviducts and out through the genital opening. They are fertilised in transit as they pass the fertilisation ducts, which pour on sperm that has been previously stored in the spermathecae.

Do you want fries with that?

[Make it Lady (OP)]

Thanks for all the answers. Freddy is very happy now.

[JnA]

Newly hatched siders can look very sweet.

how do they taste?

[Make it Lady (OP)]

Bitter!

[blakestyger]

I've looked in my spider book and it says that eggs are laid in numerous small batches or fewer large batches but over a longer time - that is, they are never in there all at the same time.

What I didn't know until now was that the eggs pass from the ovaries, down the oviducts and out through the genital opening. They are fertilised in transit as they pass the fertilisation ducts, which pour on sperm that has been previously stored in the spermathecae.

Do you want fries with that?

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